Stories from the community after IRC Uganda rehabilitated ten boreholes in Kabarole district, an effort to ensure a safe and reliable supply of water for over 3000 people, which in turn would improve health and livelihoods for the benefiting communities.

"If you do not yield to anyone's advice, the world will teach you the lessons it wants you to learn," my mother always said. Often, this was a cautionary tale and it usually came after realizing that no matter what she said or did, you would not yield to her advice. Somehow, this is the same...

As Ethiopia manages to develop more and more new rural water schemes – springs, wells or boreholes with hand-pumps or engines, piped water – keeping the existing infrastructure running well and safely is a challenge that gets bigger every day. And, despite some encouraging efforts, it's a challenge...

In January 2017 it will be seven years since I joined the IRC team. Over the years, I have done nearly everything that a communication practitioner can do within an organisational setting – and I have many outputs to show for it.

For decades, people in Uganda have been encouraged to wash their hands as a way of preventing the spread of diseases. However, the percentage of the population accessing and using hand washing facilities remains low at only 36%. What are the challenges?